How Much Does It Cost To Run A Supercar?

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I was wondering if it affordable to run a supercar on a normal wage if purchased outright as i'm considering buying one. I followed the advice on this forum and sold to rent in 2007 and invested the money in precious metals and am now sitting on a nice pile of cash. A two bed property in my target area is Â£250,000 but can be rented for as little as Â£595 per month. I have decided I will not pay more than Â£100,000 for one as i feel even that is a stupid amount to pay but doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon so I think I will buy a nice car instead and enjoy some of my money.

At a guess i'm thinking maybe a new Nissan GTR or 911 Turbo may be better for a day to day car. I prefer an Audi R8 or a Gallardo but presume the running costs would be higher again. Assuming 10k miles per year and around Â£1500 insurance does anyone have any idea how much the running costs are on these sort of cars? Any advice would be appreciated.

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I was wondering if it affordable to run a supercar on a normal wage if purchased outright as i'm considering buying one. I followed the advice on this forum and sold to rent in 2007 and invested the money in precious metals and am now sitting on a nice pile of cash. A two bed property in my target area is Â£250,000 but can be rented for as little as Â£595 per month. I have decided I will not pay more than Â£100,000 for one as i feel even that is a stupid amount to pay but doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon so I think I will buy a nice car instead and enjoy some of my money.

At a guess i'm thinking maybe a new Nissan GTR or 911 Turbo may be better for a day to day car. I prefer an Audi R8 or a Gallardo but presume the running costs would be higher again. Assuming 10k miles per year and around Â£1500 insurance does anyone have any idea how much the running costs are on these sort of cars? Any advice would be appreciated.

Insane, will be the most likely answer. It's not just running costs, obviously, the depreciation alone will kill you. Servicing costs, especially on the likes of a Lambo/Ferrari/Porsche will be huge. Wear items will be costly as these things eat brake pads and the like. I did hear from a guy who used to service a Diablo that 5K miles on a clutch was good going and it was an engine out job to replace, don't know how accurate that was though.

Then again, it depends upon how large your pile is...if it's large enough then go for it.

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I was wondering if it affordable to run a supercar on a normal wage if purchased outright as i'm considering buying one. I followed the advice on this forum and sold to rent in 2007 and invested the money in precious metals and am now sitting on a nice pile of cash. A two bed property in my target area is Â£250,000 but can be rented for as little as Â£595 per month. I have decided I will not pay more than Â£100,000 for one as i feel even that is a stupid amount to pay but doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon so I think I will buy a nice car instead and enjoy some of my money.

At a guess i'm thinking maybe a new Nissan GTR or 911 Turbo may be better for a day to day car. I prefer an Audi R8 or a Gallardo but presume the running costs would be higher again. Assuming 10k miles per year and around Â£1500 insurance does anyone have any idea how much the running costs are on these sort of cars? Any advice would be appreciated.

if you pick a 997 Turbo (and assuming you mean new).

cost Â£100K.

Over 10K a year, about Â£3K in bills per year (tyres, servicing - Porsche only give a 2 year warranty....).

depreciation - about Â£25K in year 1. Another Â£15K in year 2, about another 8K in year 3.

If you are thinking about a Gallardo and are even asking, you can't afford it. The running costs are horrific - worse than for most of these cars. Ask for a price on a clutch and sit down before the man calls you back with the price.....

The problem is, you may not get a Â£10K bill, but if you do, you have to pay it and you can't just not service it properly to save Â£300, because that costs you Â£10K off its value.

Me, I'd pay Â£50K an buy an early used 997 Turbo and a cast iron specialist warranty from someone like Hartech or JZ Maztech (sp). R8 is tanking in price. The risk of buying a bad one is much greater at 3 years old than new - obviously - so paying money out to someone to inspect it is essential.

GTR is an acquired taste, to say the least. Superb, but an odd car just to have.

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I've never owned a supercar myself but I do know a LOT about the motor trade.

The most economical way to own something like this is to:

1. Find an independent specialist who is happy to make Â£40k or less a year fiddling around with his favourite marque. A lot of these guys are ex-mechanics for the main dealers and can make more personally and charge you far less simply by cutting overheads. Such specialists exists, Google for them and call local motor factors and ask who is long established and well respected.

2. Make sure he is local because you'll either want to drive it to him or get it towed at a reasonable cost if it won't drive.

3. Choose the car make and model based on 1 and 2. Get to know the mechanic/specialist and buy him a nice Christmas present.

4. Join the owners club for that marque.

5. If you intend to keep the car buy an accident damaged car as a source of spare parts. It will always break for more than the cost of purchase so think of it as a store of wealth.

6. Get classic car insurance.

7. Think seriously about getting a Japanese supercar. They are almost as reliable as a regular honda toyota or nissan. A Lexus Soarer for example is not much to look at but they go like shit off a shovel. They are cheap for what they are.

Finally consider joining a car club where you can get to drive all manner of nice classic cars including some supercars for a fixed annual fee. This might offer you more fun for less money. Any car gets boring after a while. The club maintain them all for you. The reality is that you don't want to do 10,000 a year in a supercar. You want it for a weekend driving around Dorset or a trip to North Wales. You don't want to take it to a football match or down to the local supermarket with tiny parking spaces.

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sorry, I have to chuckle 10K a year on a Gallardo. Trousers down - no lube time.

TBH, if you are on normal wages and unless you have had other toys, start with something like a used Boxster and try that for a year and see if you get the bug for cars badly enough to want to risk all of your year's net wages in depreciation on a piece of metal

Greg, those car clubs are going bust left right and centre. And a Â£3K Soarer is not a supercar. It's a big fat coupe that is seen outside a late night Indian takeaway near you. Christ, you'll be telling him to buy a 928 or a used Maserati 3200GT without warranty and driving it at full boot in the rain next

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Insane, will be the most likely answer. It's not just running costs, obviously, the depreciation alone will kill you. Servicing costs, especially on the likes of a Lambo/Ferrari/Porsche will be huge. Wear items will be costly as these things eat brake pads and the like. I did hear from a guy who used to service a Diablo that 5K miles on a clutch was good going and it was an engine out job to replace, don't know how accurate that was though.

Then again, it depends upon how large your pile is...if it's large enough then go for it.

Probably not viable if its that high. I was thinking if I spend around Â£65,000 on a car it would still leave me enough to buy that house outright if I was lucky enough for the house to drop to what I would consider a fair price. I was thinking a monthly figure of Â£700-Â£800 would be affordable for the running costs but based on what you have said this probably won't be enough.

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I was thinking a monthly figure of Â£700-Â£800 would be affordable for the running costs but based on what you have said this probably won't be enough.

A - what do you think will happen to supercar prices if house prices fall 60% where you are ? That blows your numbers out of the water

B - your figures ARE doable (Â£700 a month) - and easily with the right car, but you have to be aware that they might not stack up and you could get an absolutely massive bill. Can you stomach it (not can you afford it).

These are all very expensive cars, with huge running costs - at least you've not suggested an Aston for 10K a year yet !

[seriously, get the Boxster or Cayman S and get used to the idea, then if you love it, go balls out - not least because it'll be a year or more later, the market will be clearer and you'll have less at risk]

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Me, I'd pay Â£50K an buy an early used 997 Turbo and a cast iron specialist warranty from someone like Hartech or JZ Maztech (sp). R8 is tanking in price. The risk of buying a bad one is much greater at 3 years old than new - obviously - so paying money out to someone to inspect it is essential.

This sounds like a good option. As long as it's been looked after should hold its value fairly well with most of the depreciation in the first 3 years.

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[seriously, get the Boxster or Cayman S and get used to the idea, then if you love it, go balls out - not least because it'll be a year or more later, the market will be clearer and you'll have less at risk]

I think I will give these a test drive also. Probably a more sensible option than the 911.

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sorry, I have to chuckle 10K a year on a Gallardo. Trousers down - no lube time.

TBH, if you are on normal wages and unless you have had other toys, start with something like a used Boxster and try that for a year and see if you get the bug for cars badly enough to want to risk all of your year's net wages in depreciation on a piece of metal

Greg, those car clubs are going bust left right and centre. And a Â£3K Soarer is not a supercar. It's a big fat coupe that is seen outside a late night Indian takeaway near you. Christ, you'll be telling him to buy a 928 or a used Maserati 3200GT without warranty and driving it at full boot in the rain next

If they are going bust then it shows they must be a good deal for the members. They won't all go bust.

I like the Soarer myself. Besides in this country what is the point of having a fast car? You can't open it up without getting nicked. I have a Corolla and I am constantly passing people in Â£100k plus cars who don't dare break the speed limit. I don't care as much because I have it registered in the name of a straw man. You can't do that with a supercar.

I don't need to worry about Gatso's or parking tickets, just getting pulled by a physical plod and that hasn't happened for as long as I can remember.

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If they are going bust then it shows they must be a good deal for the members. They won't all go bust.

I like the Soarer myself. Besides in this country what is the point of having a fast car? You can't open it up without getting nicked. I have a Corolla and I am constantly passing people in Â£100k plus cars who don't dare break the speed limit. I don't care as much because I have it registered in the name of a straw man. You can't do that with a supercar.

I don't need to worry about Gatso's or parking tickets, just getting pulled by a physical plod and that hasn't happened for as long as I can remember.

This is very illegal. Also, what happens if your car gets checked for some reason.....how do you then prove it's yours and that you didn't steal it?

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Don't buy anything that's a supercar by definition they're just a cure invented for people with the illness of too much money and time on their hands and you can't go anywhere in them but weekend drives carefully planned to stop only at places where it's safe to park and with a once monthly spin you'll begin to think the vehicle always starts with jump leads rather than a key.

For something sporty you can use every day go German or Japanese. I would say that the common refrain on high-end cars is running costs but outside of fuel or insurance I've never had any particularly memorable wallet emptying experiences although I do always buy new with warranty. If you went for something like a Merc SL it'd be better than most cars out there and not cost the earth by the time you've finished and the roof opens impressibely when it's sunny.

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7. Think seriously about getting a Japanese supercar. They are almost as reliable as a regular honda toyota or nissan. A Lexus Soarer for example is not much to look at but they go like shit off a shovel. They are cheap for what they are.

Finally consider joining a car club where you can get to drive all manner of nice classic cars including some supercars for a fixed annual fee. This might offer you more fun for less money. Any car gets boring after a while. The club maintain them all for you. The reality is that you don't want to do 10,000 a year in a supercar. You want it for a weekend driving around Dorset or a trip to North Wales. You don't want to take it to a football match or down to the local supermarket with tiny parking spaces.

I've got a Lexus IS already so appreciate the reliability is excellent. I've never driven a Soarer, i'm sure it was an excellent car in its day but I would rather something a bit more modern. I will look into the car clubs but I think I quite like the idea of owning one even if it is the more expensive option.

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Insane, will be the most likely answer. It's not just running costs, obviously, the depreciation alone will kill you. Servicing costs, especially on the likes of a Lambo/Ferrari/Porsche will be huge. Wear items will be costly as these things eat brake pads and the like. I did hear from a guy who used to service a Diablo that 5K miles on a clutch was good going and it was an engine out job to replace, don't know how accurate that was though.

Then again, it depends upon how large your pile is...if it's large enough then go for it.

Get the Nissan Skyline GTR. Only Â£58k and is faster than a 911. I am still pining for one, by Mr Parry told me to be a good boy.

Instead I am driving a 4.2 litre Audi that's built like a tank.

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About Me:Retired from own property investment company, mainly commercial property. Still watch the market, think prices are just so over the top. I had hoped there would be a crash, well there is now and in my opinion a big one. I always thought BTL mortgages were a bad thing for the UK market.

I was wondering if it affordable to run a supercar on a normal wage if purchased outright as i'm considering buying one. I followed the advice on this forum and sold to rent in 2007 and invested the money in precious metals and am now sitting on a nice pile of cash. A two bed property in my target area is Â£250,000 but can be rented for as little as Â£595 per month. I have decided I will not pay more than Â£100,000 for one as i feel even that is a stupid amount to pay but doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon so I think I will buy a nice car instead and enjoy some of my money.

At a guess i'm thinking maybe a new Nissan GTR or 911 Turbo may be better for a day to day car. I prefer an Audi R8 or a Gallardo but presume the running costs would be higher again. Assuming 10k miles per year and around Â£1500 insurance does anyone have any idea how much the running costs are on these sort of cars? Any advice would be appreciated.

Is this supercar as a second car or the only car? If it's as a second why not buy a fast and sparkling restored classic car? A tad more stylish for a start, will hold it's value and far less likely to get keyed. How often and where can you floor a supercar anyway! If it's kerb side appeal, nothing beats a classic car. I'm forming a long list in my head that would ring my bell.

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About Me:Retired from own property investment company, mainly commercial property. Still watch the market, think prices are just so over the top. I had hoped there would be a crash, well there is now and in my opinion a big one. I always thought BTL mortgages were a bad thing for the UK market.

It was my plan to be the main car purely because the budget of Â£700-Â£800 a month wouldn't stretch to two cars unfortunately.

Well I still think a classic would be as I said, a lot more style and hold it's value saving you a large loss. What classics do you like? You could buy one of the nicest convertible e-type jags and have change. You'll probably get one stunning blond to the tank full of petrol easily.

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I had a Ferrari for 3 years as a second car. It was fun when I drove it but a PITA most of the time. Only drove it 1500 miles in 3 years. I was scared to park it, embarrassed on occasion with the stares, it didn't like rain and it was really bad in traffic for being so low. Only really any good for a quick run early Sunday morning or on a road trip to Europe.

I now have a 911 cab which although not as special is a lot more useable and as such gets used and enjoyed more.

Make sure you buy right used and you don't get hit on depreciation. Keep the miles low and you can do OK.